The amezaiku 飴細工

Who said lollipops had to be round or oblong? Amezaiku , an ancestral Japanese art , consists of sculpting animals in a sugar paste before coloring them to give them an even more realistic look. A delight for the eyes first, and then for the taste buds!

It was during the Heian period (794-1185) that the art of amezaiku was born in Japan, proliferating in particular in the temples of Kyoto , presented as offerings . But it was especially during the Edo period (1603-1868), that the amezaiku spread more, leaving the enclosures of the temples to land in the itinerant shops installed in all the cities of Japan.

AN ART OF PRECISION

To sculpt these little sweets, artisans heat sweet dough to more than 80 degrees to make it malleable. After making it take a ball shape, the timer begins to run. Because, in addition to being an art of precision , amezaiku is also a question of speed : once the ball is formed, there are only 5 minutes left to give it an animal appearance.

It is with the help of small scissors that the artists will cut, fold, ripple the sugar paste, in a ballet of precise and assured gestures.

It's like glass carving except here the goal is to create the most impressive and realistic treats... all in 5 minutes! Once the sugar sculpture is finished, the craftsmen do not hesitate to give it more body with a few touches of color using food coloring.

AN ART THAT IS LOST

As beautiful and poetic as amezaiku may seem, it is slowly disappearing . Indeed, in Tokyo alone, there are only two craftsmen left making amezaiku in their shop and using ancestral techniques. A know-how that is also being lost, especially because there is no longer a school where you can learn this technique. All that remains is for those who want to embark on this art, to learn it alongside one of the rare practitioners still in activity today.

It is in particular because of regulations relating to hygiene that the practice (and therefore the sale) of these sweet works of art is declining, even if certain specialists are trying to keep it alive. Like this young Japanese who works in a Tokyo shop .

Discover his shop: Ame-shin